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CELPIP Listening Part 4: News Item

Practice Test 8

Part 4. Instructions.
You will hear a news report read by one speaker. In the real test, you hear the report only once.

After the report, you will hear five questions. Choose the best answer, (A), (B), (C), or (D).

Try to answer after one listen to simulate test conditions.

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1. The whale was first seen by ___.

    tourists travelling on the St. Lawrence

    wildlife officials carrying out a survey

    researchers from a marine mammal group

    a local fisherman near Trois-Rivières

2. According to Lemieux, the whale's location is unusual because ___.

    the area is closed to all marine wildlife

    belugas normally prefer warmer river waters

    belugas usually stay in saltier waters further downstream

    the whale was expected to remain in the Atlantic Ocean

3. The whale's current condition is ___.

    being assessed from the shore

    too poor for a possible relocation attempt

    being monitored using boats and drones

    clearly deteriorating after several days in fresh water

4. The loss of a young female beluga would be especially serious because ___.

    the species is endangered with fewer than nine hundred remaining

    the species depends on imports from other countries

    it would be the first death recorded in the population this year

    young females are the rarest members of the group

5. Officials may try to ___ if the whale does not return downstream soon.

    wait several weeks before taking any action

    move the whale back to its normal habitat

    capture the whale for permanent care in an aquarium

    close the river to all boat traffic indefinitely

View Transcript

Script

Marine biologists are expressing both excitement and concern after a rare beluga whale was spotted far upriver in the St.

Lawrence River near Trois-Rivières, Quebec, earlier this week.

The whale, identified as a young adult female, was seen swimming alone in waters where belugas are almost never observed.

The sighting was first reported by a local fisherman on Monday morning.

Dr. Sylvie Lemieux, a researcher with the Quebec Marine Mammal Study Group, said the appearance of the whale so far from its usual habitat in the lower St.

Lawrence estuary is highly unusual.

Lemieux explained that belugas typically remain in the cooler, saltier waters closer to the Gulf of St.

Lawrence, and that travelling this far upstream may put the animal at risk.

The whale's condition is currently being monitored by a team of researchers using boats and aerial drones.

Lemieux noted that the animal appears physically healthy, but warned that prolonged exposure to fresh water could eventually cause skin and health problems.

Researchers are also concerned about the increased boat traffic in the area, which can disorient marine mammals and lead to collisions.

The St. Lawrence beluga population has been classified as endangered for several years, with fewer than nine hundred individuals remaining.

Lemieux said the loss of even a single young female would be a significant blow to the species' long-term recovery.

Local authorities have asked boaters to maintain a distance of at least four hundred metres from the whale and to reduce their speed in the area.

Wildlife officials are considering whether to attempt a relocation if the whale does not return downstream within the next several days.

The public has been encouraged to report any further sightings.

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